Senses
by DecoyDream
Summary: Five ficlets based around each of the five senses for moments of Jem and Tessa's courtship. Part 1 - The Scent of Strawberries. Part 2 - The Sound of Thunder. Part 3 - The Sight of Fur.
1. Part 1 - The Scent of Strawberries

_**Senses**_

_**Part 1: The Scent of Strawberries**_

Tessa sat in the drawing room, her fingers pressed against the aging pages of a particularly interesting book that she had found in the library that morning. It was oddly calm in the Institute that morning – no signs of Henry on fire or Will telling wild tales of his escapades the night before. Even Jessamine seemed to have a severe lack of anything unpleasant to say, which was considerably odd since Tessa had worn a pale lavender dress that she had earlier deemed 'Utterly hideous with her skin tone'. Sighing, Tessa flipped the page, feeling bored despite the vivid descriptions of odd Downworlder traits recorded throughout history. She wished there was something to do today but she didn't want to become a burden to the others – after all, it wasn't their duty to entertain house guests.

As though answering her prayers, Jem appeared around the corner with a beatific look on his face. He looked better today, his eyes a lively silver and his skin looking a little less translucent and sallow. He had scared her half to death yesterday when he doubled over in lung wrenching coughs, and even more so when he had lain in bed for the entire afternoon and evening with sweat drenched clothes and feverish skin.

"Hello Jem," greeted Tessa with a smile, "Shouldn't you be in bed?"

His eyes danced with amusement "Trying to get rid of me already?"

Tessa's smile widened "Of course not. Is there something you wanted?"

He walked towards her, his steps languid and graceful. Holding out his hand, he pulled her up from her sitting position on the armchair. She left the book on the coffee table, vaguely remembering the page number so that she could continue reading it later.

"I thought you might enjoy a little time outside," said Jem, placing her hand in the crook of his arm while leading her down the hallways.

Tessa frowned with concern, "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

Upon such close proximity she noticed that he had a very distinct smell about him when he wasn't covered in demon's blood and sweat – it was spicy and earthy, and a tiny bit sweet from the _yin fen_. Tessa found it pleasant and comforting, words that she often associated with the boy beside her.

"It's a splendid idea," replied Jem easily, nodding to Sophie who looked at the pair curiously "And it's not far"

Tessa acquiesced, deciding that some fresh air may do him good. The pair kept up a stream of steady conversation, ranging from Henry's newest inventions to Shadowhunter politics between the families. Soon enough, Jem led them out of a side door that Tessa had never seen. Stepping out into the sunlight, Tessa was surprised to find that they were in a small but lush garden.

"I didn't know London had enough sunlight to actually grow things," remarked Tessa dryly, though her eyes betrayed her delight. The garden was small but had lovely dense green hedges lining the perimeters as well as blooming flowers of every colour and kind neatly potted into their flowerbeds. However, it wasn't those things that made Tessa smile with fond nostalgia. It was the scent, a deep heady perfume that permeated everything in its entirety.

Strawberries.

Again, Jem seemed to know what she was thinking. With a knowing smile touching his lips, he led her towards the strawberry patch and sat her down on the stone bench next to it. Somehow, he must have known she would come with him because on the ground was a wicker picnic basket filled to the brim with wild strawberries as well as a pitcher of cider and two cups.

"I heard they were your favourites" murmured Jem, pouring them each a glass of amber liquid. Tessa resisted the urge to throw her arms around him and envelope him in a hug at his kindness. She didn't remember telling anyone about how her mother use to make strawberry jam tarts for her sometimes, or how the Gray family would go berry picking in the American summers. But somehow Jem had known, like he always seemed to know things, and it warmed her heart to think he cared enough to go out of his way to do lovely things for her.

"Thank you Jem," she said finally, settling on giving him a tremulous smile. She fought back the tears that were threatening to spill, feeling a little bit ridiculous that she was almost about to cry "Thanks for everything"

He ducked his head slightly, busying himself with sorting out strawberries to hand to her in a thick napkin "You're quite welcome"

Tessa saw the high spots of colour bloom on his cheeks, contrasting against his pale skin. He was _embarrassed_ of all things!

Tessa gently placed her hand on his arm, realising that he had rolled his sleeves up to his elbows so that she was touching his warm skin. She took a deep breath and spoke, sincerity and honesty lacing her words.

"Really Jem, Thank you. I want you to know that I never take you for granted. That I appreciate everything you do for me even though you know you don't have to. Thank you"

Jem looked mildly speechless at her confession, his mouth parting slightly so she could see a hint of his tongue. As though noticing her staring, he closed his mouth hurriedly and licked his lips before pulling a particularly ripe berry from the napkin and holding it towards her mouth.

"Try some, they're delicious," he said lightly, seemingly unaware of Tessa's flushed cheeks and wide eyes.

She leant forward, capturing the fruit in her mouth with a quick nip of her teeth as Jem watched, fixated as she chewed thoughtfully.

"It is delicious," declared Tessa at last, savouring the sweet fragrant juices "Did you plant these?"

Jem laughed, light and quick "Heavens no! Charlotte is the secret gardener out of us all. She planted these a few months ago when the weather began to warm up"

"Would she mind that we're eating these?" asked Tessa, plucking another strawberry from Jem's lap and placing it delicately in her mouth.

He shook his head, a stray lock of silvery hair falling into his eyes that glinted with amusement "No, I complimented her heavily on her gardening skills this morning. She seemed awfully embarrassed for some reason and told me that I could eat as much as I want as long I don't tell another soul"

Tessa laughed, the sound startlingly loud in the garden "You broke her promise then"

He levelled his gaze with hers, his warm fingers finding hers before entwining them together with a familiarity that still left her breathless "You are worth it"

She smiled, scooting over closer so that they were shoulder-to-shoulder and knee-to-knee. In this moment, free of the future and free of their own pasts, all was perfect between them in this little safe haven doused in golden light. Angling her head slightly, Tessa rested comfortably against Jem's shoulder, watching the sun set over the city skyline in the distance as the scent of strawberries bathed them in a beautiful memory.

**A/N:** ANOTHER Jem and Tessa story – I know, I know… But in my defence, I'm just stocking up on super duper happy pleasant thoughts about those two before Clockwork Princess comes out and ruins all of that :P For some reason, I usually write fluffy kind of stories on this site but in real life I can't even stand public displays of affection. Weird, or is that just like everyone else?

Anyway, thanks for reading. Please review :)

-_ DecoyDream x_

By the way, the theme for these little ficlets is obviously each of the five senses but they are not related time wise and nor are they set in any specific time period. If I were to say, it's probably around Clockwork Prince times when Jem and Tessa started happening fo' real.


	2. Part 2 - The Sound of Thunder

_**Part 2- The Sound of Thunder**_

Ever since Tessa had met them, she had always thought of Shadowhunters as mighty warriors. They had the ability to fight with increased agility, speed and power. They fought valiantly for themselves and for the innocent, even centuries before them as half divine beings. They were not scared of creatures that would terrify mortals, not even demons with wickedly sharp horns, beady eyes and acid tongues.

Or so Tessa thought.

Tampering down the amusement bubbling within her, she glanced towards Jem who although tried very hard to look casual, was not fooling Tessa in the least. They were both sitting in The Institutes vast library on either end of the couch by the fire, spending a quiet evening there away from Will and Gabriel Lightwood's bickering in the weapons room down the hallway. However, in the past 10 minutes or so, she had noticed something very peculiar about Jem's behaviour.

He had been reading the same page of the Dicken's novel she had recommended to him for the last few minutes, staring so intently at a spot that it might combust into flames. His hands gripping the delicate bounding were bruising the pages and Tessa fought the urge to pry it away from his hands lest he damage it permanently. The slight curve of his relaxed posture was long gone, replaced by a rigidness that matched the tight set of his clenched jaw.

A loud crack of thunder sounded again, making him jump slightly in his seat. His dark silver eyes zoned onto one of the tall panes of window in the library, his face fixing itself into a frown as he watched the sky light up and flash with another loud boom. As Tessa continued to surreptitiously watch him above her own leather bound book, she hid her tiny smile from him as something akin to fear flashed across his features before he managed to school it into something of careful nonchalance.

She knew she shouldn't be making fun of him for being scared of thunder. He would never tease her for something quite out of her control. It wasn't like the Jem she knew at all – not the kind, loving and beautiful boy who respected and cared for her so much above what she deserved. So with a flick of her wrist, she closed the book she was reading with a light thump, deciding that perhaps all he needed was a little distraction.

He hadn't noticed that she had stopped reading yet, his fingers still curled around the book so tightly that his knuckles turned white. Clearing her throat slightly, she ventured a little closer to where he was sitting.

"Jem?" she prompted gently, shaking him lightly on the arm.

The contact seemed to jostle him out of his thoughts and he seemed somewhat surprised to find her there next to him "Oh sorry, what were you saying?"

"Not much," quipped Tessa, removing her hand hastily "I was just wondering if you wanted some more of that tea that Sophie brought in earlier"

He nodded idly, thanking her quietly though he still looked worried. Leaning back on the couch, Tessa made herself comfortable while trying to balance the delicate china cup in one hand. Trying to steer his attention away from his fears, she infused her voice with as much enthusiasm as possible.

"Do you want to play a game?" she suggested brightly.

It seemed to pique his attention enough to make him swivel around to regard her with interest "What sort of game?"

"How about two truths and one lie?"

"I've never heard of it," commented Jem "Though if you wish to play in hopes that you will garner some sort of juicy story from me Miss Gray…"

His teasing tone was accompanied by a small quirk of his lips, leaving Tessa feeling quite warm despite the freezing temperatures outside.

"I have other sources for juicy gossip surrounding you Mr Carstairs. I'm sure Will would be more than willing to tell me some of your more outrageous endeavours," she bluffed, knowing that her and Will were not on good terms anymore but finding that the thought was not as crushing as it had once been.

His eyes widened innocently "What sort of ungentlemanly behaviour are you accusing me of?"

She swatted his arm playfully "Are you playing or not?"

In the end he agreed, letting her have her go first. He looked much more relaxed already with his grey waist coat undone and the first few buttons of his shirt left open. One of his hands casually rested on his lap while the other perched on top of the arm of the couch. His eyes fixed themselves on her face, watching as she tried to think of something to say which for some reason was proving very difficult indeed at that moment.

"Erm… Well, I don't know how to play any instruments. My favourite colour is red. I like poetry even though I don't always understand it"

Jem grinned "Are you purposely making this easy for me? I say that your lie is your favourite colour"

Tessa hid her surprise, pretending that she was making it a little easy for Jem. Perhaps it was a matter of pride, or maybe it was because she didn't realise how much Jem actually knew about her.

"You're right," she said "What gave it away?"

He shrugged "I just knew. What is your favourite colour by the way?"

She answered without any hesitation "Silver"

He nodded to himself, committing the titbit of information to memory and not noticing Tessa's sudden aversion to looking straight at him or the nervous flutter of fingers that threatened to drop her cup.

"Your turn," she said, her voice slightly higher sounding than usual. Jem ran a hand through his soft, pale hair as he thought of what to say, before startling Tessa when he broke the quiet of the room.

"When I was a child, I had a habit of climbing everything. Or, I have a strong aversion to eating or seeing fish. Or lastly, I always prefer Charlotte to draw iratze's for me because I am almost as terrible at it as Will is"

Tessa giggled, noticing the slight exasperation on his face at the last part which suggested that it may be true. Without that one, it left either the climbing or the fish…. The fish one seemed a little odd, so with some confidence she declared that that was the lie.

He shook his head, a smile touching his lips "No actually, the fish one is true. When we were younger, Will was mad at me for something and left a dead fish from the Thames on my bed to stew all afternoon till I found it at night. I have never been able to look at or eat fish ever again since that incident"

Tessa's giggles turned into laughter, "I wonder how that poor fish could survive in the Thames!"

"It didn't. It was quite dead and strangely slimy when I found it," said Jem wryly, his nose wrinkled in disgust over the memory as Tessa struggled to breathe.

They continued playing till it was late in the night, spouting off various ridiculous things ('I was chased down the street by a mad donkey!') in half- hearted hopes that the other would believe it. As she watched Jem shake with uncontrollable laughter, she couldn't help the sense of smug satisfaction that rose within her.

It turned out that she was _quite_ adept at distractions when it came to Jem Carstairs.

* * *

_**A/N:** I have no idea whether '2 truths and 1 lie' is an actual game or not - I play it sometimes though! Thanks for reading guys and i hope you're enjoying these Tessa/Jem happy fun times :)_

_Love,_

_DecoyDream x_


	3. Part 3 - The Sight of Fur

**A/N:**_ I know I say this every time I post a chapter for any of my stories, but a massive thank you to those who reviewed. I know it's a bit of a hassle, so I do appreciate that you take the time to let me know what you think of the chapter/story/writing etc! Not only are reviews great motivation, but they also make me ridiculously happy - hopefully my made up circumstances between Tessa and Jem make you smile too :)_

_This chapter is in honour of Church the cat. It still makes me laugh when I realize how concerned people are with the fact that Church is not cast in the City of Bones movie that comes out next week (I can't wait to see it!) :p Happy reading everyone and I hope you enjoy the chapter!_

* * *

**Part 3 - The Sight of Fur**

Church had always favoured Jem above all the other occupants of The Institute.

During the night, the cat would always find its way to Jem's room, scratching and pawing at the door until the sleepy silver haired boy would open it and let him in. He would spend a few minutes scratching himself against the corners of Jem's violin case and his bedside table, before imperiously settling himself right in the middle of the bed and watching Jem with lamp like eyes as though daring him to kick him off. He never did though, choosing to slip in under the covers while trying not to jostle the cat who had taken hostage of his bed.

In the morning, they would part ways and go about their business for the day. Sometimes they would cross paths at breakfast when Church circled Jem's legs until he would relent and give him small pieces of croissant. On more than the odd occasion when Will had antagonised the cat, Jem would be there to draw iratzes for his parabatai who scowled and cursed the cat for his blatant favouritism. Jem would hide his smile, teasing Will for being bested by a cat while said cat preened with a distinct sense of smug satisfaction before sunning himself in the courtyard outside.

So it was a surprise to Jem when he realised that Church had not interrupted his sleep for over a week now. While Church use to inevitably wind up in his room during the night, Jem had perceived a notable lack of tufts of fur on his rug and haphazard meowing during the night when he wanted a scratch.

Feeling worried despite himself, Jem stepped out of his room in his pyjamas, feeling the cold seep in through his thin night clothes and bare feet. He checked each room systematically; calling out the cat's name and even meowing a few times in hopes that the cat would come. The cat calls garnered more than a few strange looks from Bridget who paused mid chorus through a particularly morbid song to ask: "Are you quite alright Master Jem?"

Jem flushed a dark pink before excusing himself, wandering through the halls once more in search of the illusive cat. What if he escaped The Institute and got lost? What if he got himself into a fight with other cats and was injured enough to not be able to come home?

Finding his footsteps retracing automatically back to his room, Jem decided that he would look for Church tomorrow morning with Will, however unwilling he would be. Although the cat was not a terribly good bedfellow, he had been his companion for a long enough time that he would miss him if he were to be gone. He couldn't desert a friend, despite the fact that Church was a cat and a very proud one at that.

Pausing at the entrance of his own room, Jem noticed that the door across from him was slightly ajar, a dim yellow light emanating from within. In the flickering witchlights of the hallway, Jem swore he saw the slight flick of a very familiar bushy tail around the doorframe before it disappeared. _Church!_

Jem made to move towards the room before realising just who's room it was.

_Tessa?_ What was Church doing in Tessa's room?

Inching closer, Jem decided that he would collect the cat and then leave. While he would usually relish the chance to converse with her, Jem found that it would not be of good sense to be caught in Tessa's room in the middle of the night. While he personally did not mind if rumours circulated, he did not want to make assumptions about Tessa or impede upon her reputation unnecessarily.

Feeling inexplicably awkward, Jem gently knocked on the door three times and waited. With no noise of acknowledgement from the other side, he hesitantly poked his head in.

Tessa was propped up against the bed head, her dark hair curling around her face and splayed over her shoulders that were covered by a white blouse for sleep. Her eyelashes cast shadows across her pale face, one hand clutching a heavy looking tome while the other hand-

Was buried in Church's thick fur.

Shaking his head to himself, Jem quietly approached. Tucking one of his hands under Church's warm belly, Jem tried to extract him from her sheets only to be met with resistance in the form of his claws. He cast Jem a baleful look, twisting out of his arms until he landed back on the bed with a light thud.

"Church! Come here you silly cat!" whispered Jem, reaching for the uncooperative ball of fur again.

"Jem? What are you doing here?"

Jem froze, his arms outstretched and his cheeks flaming at the sound of her voice thick with sleep. Getting caught in her room was not a part of the plan, but upon reflection, he realised he did not have much of a plan to begin with. What exactly was the convention for sneaking into a lady's room in the thick of the night?

"Er…Hello there Tessa"

His voice sounded slightly strangled but he straightened up his posture to maintain an air of dignity "I'm so sorry to disturb you, but I thought that I'd retrieve my cat from your room"

Tessa laughed, rubbing the remnants of sleep from her eyes and smiling brightly "Your cat? And here I thought that Church and I were fast becoming friends"

"So that's where he's been all week? In your room?" asked Jem, a teasing hint of scepticism in her tone.

Her smile didn't dim "Well, if you like – we can have joint custody of Church. I'm becoming quite attached to the way he would leave fur all over my pillow"

Jem grinned, leaning against the wall "You make us sound like parents battling for a child's love and affection"

"Well, how about we let Church decide who he wants to stay with?"

Jem arched a pale brow "And how do you suppose we do that?"

Tessa scooted to the side of her bed, patting the space next to her and motioning for him to sit. Hesitantly, Jem gracefully placed himself on the side of the bed, not closing in the distance between the two of them. In the middle, Church continued to watch them with an air of supreme annoyance as he wished to continue sleeping without the interruptions.

"To test Church's loyalties, we should try and convince him to come to either of us without any physical means" announced Tessa, sitting cross legged on top of her covers. She shivered slightly, pulling the blanket over her lap while Jem wished he had brought a jacket with him just so that he could drape it over her shoulders.

"So no food treats? Or bells and feathers?" asked Jem, though he had none of those objects with him.

Tessa nodded "Only verbal stimulation. We shall see who he prefers as-"

"Parents?" offered Jem with a small smile, using their analogy from before.

Tessa's dark eyes sparkled with mirth in the low light "Yes. Let's see who the better parent is"

They both set to the task immediately, each taking turns to convince Church to come to them. Jem reminded Church that he had saved him from the Dark house months ago, and that if it wasn't for him, he would be a sacrificed in what would surely be a horrific manner. In response, Church glared at the unwanted memories and remained curled up comfortably.

Tessa in turn made ridiculous cooing noises as well as promises of fresh fish for supper the next day. Jem tried hard to supress his laughter when she started to compliment him on his lovely dense fur and beautifully formed ears. However, her efforts were wasted as Church remained unimpressed and only twitched his whiskers in impatience before rolling over and curling in on himself once more.

"Well, I'm not quite sure what that proved other than the fact that he doesn't care for either of us when it comes to a comfortable place for a good sleep" remarked Jem wryly, relaxing onto the bed head and idly stroking Church's head while he leaned into his touch.

"I still like to think we are good parents though," said Tessa "We will never stop loving him even if he doesn't love us in return"

Jem faked a wounded expression, his tone aghast "So that is who has your affections_? Church the cat?_"

Tessa patted Church on the head, who was enjoying the ministrations from both of them "Well, he is quite handsome isn't he?"

Jem laughed, the sound quiet even in the stillness of the room "That, I can certainly not compete with then"

The corner of Tessa's lips pulled upwards into a small half smile, "But do you know what?"

Jem looked at her, taking in her messy dark hair, bright eyes and smiling mouth and felt warm despite not having a fever "No?"

She moved her hand from patting Church to encircling Jem's wrist, stilling his hand before sliding her fingers through his "You're _much_ more handsome in my opinion"

Jem grinned as she laughed; tightening his hold on her "I'm not quite sure if that's an insult or a compliment Miss Gray"

She leaned over, ignoring Church who had fallen asleep in a position between the two. Pecking him gently on the cheek, she whispered in a teasing tone: "It is most definitely a compliment Mr Carstairs."


End file.
